Hospital and invalid mattresses



July 28, 1964 R J, HENRY I 3,142,070

HOSPITAL AND INVALID MATTRESSES Filed April 4. 1963 mmvroa l 4 ROSIE J. H'E'NRY J WQ Q ATTORNEY United States Patent Patente July 2 1964 of the mattress in relative positions, and is prefer-ably 3,142,979 made the full height so as to retain the mattress in either HUSPETAL AND INVALID MATTRESSES Rosie 5. Henry, 1332 67th St, Berkeley 2, Calif. Filed Apr. 4, 1963, Ser. No. 270,689 2 Claims. (Cl. -91) This invention relates to improvements in mattresses, and specifically mattresses for hospital installations, and for patients and invalids under home care, particularly where a patient is considerably overweight.

Nurses and orderlies have been injured in attempting to raise a patient suificiently to insert a bed pan, the lifting being necessary when the patient is helpless, or under doctors orders not to exert themselves, under which conditions it may require two persons to raise the patient sufficiently to insert and remove the bed pan.

With my invention it is merely necessary for one nurse or orderly to roll the patient on his side, remove the filler, and insert the bed pan and roll the patient back, thus eliminating the intense exertion required under present conditions.

The objects and advantages of the invention are as follows:

First, to provide a mattress for patients and invalids which will eliminate the necessity of lifting a person for use of a bed pan or the like.

Second, to provide a mattress which will expedite the care of patients in hospitals and the like.

Third, to provide a mattress which is substantially uninterrupted for normal use.

Fourth, to provide a mattress with a recess to receive a bed pan or the like, and to provide a filler for the recess in the form of a mattress section so as to make the mattress substantially continuous for conventional usage.

Fifth, to provide the recess with a moisture proof lining and which lining reverses with reversal of the mattress.

In describing the invention reference will be had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a mattress with one form of my invention applied thereto.

FIG. 2 is a section taken on line 22 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the filler or mattress section which is removed and replaced when the bed pan is to be used.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing another form of my invention, with the recess formed substantially centrally of the mattress.

In its broadest terms, the invention consists of a con ventional mattress provided with a recess to receive a bed pan or the like following removal of a mattress section, with the mattress section replaceable following removal of the bed pan, and requiring merely rolling the patient on his side for the respective removal and replacement.

The mattress is of normal construction with the exception that a passage 11 is first formed through the mattress, either in one side as indicated at 12, or about centrally of the mattress as indicated at 13, this latter arrangement probably being the most satisfactory, as it retains the remainder of the mattress in better form through use.

The recess is provided with a moistureproof lining 14, which is secured to the mattress wall 11 intermediate its height as indicated at 15, so that when the mattress is inverted, the lining will move to the opposite position, turning inside out.

When the recess is formed in one side of the mattress as shown in FIG. 1, it should extend about to the center, and should be provided with a tie member 16 which be applied centrally or as shown, to maintain the two ends position.

The recesses are preferably made of just suflicient length 17 and 18 to freely receive the bed pan 19 between the walls.

The filler or mattress section 20 is provided with a strap handle 21 and is formed of the same material as the mattress, and is made to easily fit in the recess to make the mattress continuous when normally used.

I claim:

1. The combination with a mattress having a centrally disposed opening extending entirely through said mattress, the mattress surrounding the entire wall of the opening and the opening being large enough to receive a bed pan; of

(a) a flexible moisture-proof lining having a bottom and an integral flexible flange extending around the entire edge of the bottom and having a depth substantially equal to one-half the height of said mattress; and

(b) means attaching said flexible flange to the Wall of said mattress opening at approximately the intermediate height of said opening so that the lining bottom will substantially lie in the plane of the mattress bottom;

(0) said flexible lining being adapted to invertitself and turn inside out when the mattress is turned upside down so that the lining bottom will again lie substantially in a plane that lies flush with the bottom of the mattress.

2. In combination:

(a) a mattress having an opening extending entirely through the mattress, the opening also extending through one side of the mattress so that access to the opening can be made from this said mattress side;

(b) a tie member disposed on the mattress side that has the opening dividing this side into two spacedapart portions, the ends of the tie member being secured to the two spaced-apart side portions and said tie member bridging the opening for maintaining the two spaced-apart side portions in proper positions;

(6) a flexible moisture-proof lining having a bottom and an integral flexible flange extending around the entire edge of the bottom and having a depth substantially equal to one-half the height of said mat tress; and

(d) means attaching said flexible flange to the wall of said mattress opening at approximately the intermediate height of said opening so that the lining bottom will substantially lie in the plane of the mattress bottom;

(e) said flexible lining being adapted to invert itself and turn inside out when the mattress is turned upside down so that the lining bottom will again lie substantially in a plane that lies flush with the bottom of the mattress.

(7) said flexible flange having a portion paralleling the inner surface of said tie member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,339,880 Cooper May 11, 1920 1,443,667 Zachary Ian. 30, 1 923 1,973,160 Wagner Sept. 11, 1934 2,157,394 Beery May 9, 1939 2,550,293 Platis Apr. 24, 1951 2,654,899 Yaczola Oct. 13, 1953 

1. THE COMBINATION WITH A MATTRESS HAVING A CENTRALLY DISPOSED OPENING EXTENDING ENTIRELY THROUGH SAID MATTRESS, THE MATTRESS SURROUNDING THE ENTIRE WALL OF THE OPENING AND THE OPENING BEING LARGE ENOUGH TO RECEIVE A BED PAN; OF (A) A FLEXIBLE MOISTURE-PROOF LINING HAVING A BOTTOM AND AN INTEGRAL FLEXIBLE FLANGE EXTENDING AROUND THE ENTIRE EDGE OF THE BOTTOM AND HAVING A DEPTH SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO ONE-HALF THE HEIGHT OF SAID MATTRESS; AND (B) MEANS ATTACHING SAID FLEXIBLE FLANGE TO THE WALL OF SAID MATTRESS OPENING AT APPROXIMATELY THE INTERMEDIATE HEIGHT OF SAID OPENING SO THAT THE LINING BOTTOM WILL SUBSTANTIALLY LIE IN THE PLANE OF THE MATTRESS BOTTOM; (C) SAID FLEXIBLE LINING BEING ADAPTED TO INVERT ITSELF AND TURN INSIDE OUT WHEN THE MATTRESS IS TURNED UPSIDE DOWN SO THAT THE LINING BOTTOM WILL AGAIN LIE SUBSTANTIALLY IN A PLANE THAT LIES FLUSH WITH THE BOTTOM OF THE MATTRESS. 